


Twenty-Four Years Late and $200 Short

by eirenical (chibi1723)



Category: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Dimension Travel, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Multiverse, Reunions, Secret Crush, for MMPR anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-01 20:16:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16291058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chibi1723/pseuds/eirenical
Summary: When Kim planned a reunion for the original Power Rangers, she should have expected that things wouldn't go quite according to plan.  But who could have predicted that a trip to visit the old Command Center would end like this?  Left stranded in an eerily familiar, yet entirely unfamiliar, place, she has to find some way to get home.  Fortunately for her, a little help from a friend goes a long, long way.





	Twenty-Four Years Late and $200 Short

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PockySquirrel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PockySquirrel/gifts).



> **_Prompt:_** The 1993 Mighty Morphin team meets the 2017 Mighty Morphin team via interdimensional shenanigans. One universe's Trini and Kim are a couple. The other universe's aren't...yet. But seeing their counterparts together gets them thinking.

Let’s have a reunion, she’d said. Let’s visit the site of the old Command Center, she’d said. It’ll be fun, she’d said. Thinking back on those innocent words, now, Kim didn’t know whether she wanted to laugh or scream. All of them together? Powerless? Sitting ducks? She should have known the temptation would prove to be too much for someone.

There was another blinding flash of light, the Earth beneath their feet shook, and Kim reached out blindly to grab on to whichever of her friends might still be within range after the initial upheaval that had tumbled them all down the cliffside. After 24 years and Powers only knew how many kidnapping attempts, she knew all too well the feeling of being teleported against her will, and she was not going to let herself be separated from her friends if she had any say in the matter.

Just when she thought it might be too late, just as the crackling electricity of the Morphing Grid began coalescing around her, Kim’s desperately clutching hands finally latched on to someone else’s. She didn’t know who she’d grabbed, but at least she knew that they wouldn’t arrive wherever it was they were going alone.

* * *

“Next time I get a brilliant idea, just put me out of my misery before I decide to put it into action, OK?”

Trini pushed herself slowly into a sitting position, a wide smile blooming on her face even as shaky hands braced her weight and every bump and bruise she’d picked up on the way down the cliff started screaming for attention at once. Kim. Thank every deity who might have been listening—they’d been taken together. Turning to face Kim’s scowling face, Trini said, “Oh, I don’t know. Between international diplomacy, lobbying for new laws, and teaching, I was getting a little out of shape. Some excitement might be just the thing!”

Kim snorted as she started dusting herself off. “Out of shape, my ass. So that _wasn’t_ you I saw kicking butt and taking names at the International Kung Fu tournament last month?”

Trini just laughed and reached out a hand to Kim, allowing them to use each other to pull themselves upright. There was a difference between tournaments among humans and the adrenaline rush of fighting intergalactic monsters, and Kim well knew it. “OK, Kim. Next time you get a brilliant idea, I’ll remind you of how this one played out.” Turning slowly to take in her surroundings, Trini indicated a likely direction and, when Kim nodded in agreement, began to walk, tossing over her shoulder as she did, “If only so we can be better prepared the next time!”

* * *

After nearly an hour of walking, Trini held out her hand, motioning Kim to stop. Voices. She heard voices.

~ _You must follow the three rules to being a Power Ranger._ ~

A voice.

~ _You must never use your powers for personal gain._ ~

A voice she knew well.

~ _You must never escalate a fight, unless your enemy forces you to._ ~

A voice that was more felt than heard, echoing through the dark, empty places where the connection to her Yellow power had once resided.

~ _And you must never reveal your identity. Ever._ ~

“Kim…?”

~ _To assume your Ranger identities, you need to morph._ ~

“I hear it, too.” Moments later, Kim’s hand was in hers, gripping so tightly that Trini could feel their combined pulses beating frantically against each other everywhere their skin met. Kim’s next word was a barely voiced whisper. “Zordon.”

Beneath their feet, a wave of energy began to pulse, building and radiating through the entire Morphing Grid. Trini reached out to grab Kim’s other hand as the wave began to crest, filling that empty place where her power had once resided. In the distance, she could feel the pounding of great paws, hear the roar of the mighty saber-toothed tiger. She met Kim’s eyes just in time for Kim to tear her gaze away, looking wildly into the skies, head cocked as if she too heard something—a sound she’d long missed... and then it all faded, crashing away into a cacophony of nonsense, which also soon faded away into nothing.

Trini staggered from the force of that loss, only a quick grab on Kim’s part preventing her from tumbling over. They stood there, trembling, hearts pounding, clutching tightly to each other, neither daring to say a word, neither daring to try to explain what had just happened, though they both knew what they’d felt.

Power Rangers.

Brand new Power Rangers.

Kim found her voice first. “Trini. We have to go. Before they find us. We have to go, _now_.”

“But…?” Why? If there were Power Rangers, shouldn’t they stay? Shouldn’t they help? What if they were needed? Why else would they be here?

Kim grabbed Trini by the shoulders and squeezed. “Think! Those are _our_ Power Coins, Trini. That’s Zordon. What if we’re not some _where_ else, but some _when_ else? Do you remember running into older versions of us the first time we morphed?” All Trini could do was shake her head. Kim nodded. “That’s right. I mean, I was pretty distracted at the time, but I still think that would have stood out, don’t you? So, if we didn’t meet ourselves then, then we can’t meet ourselves now, either, OK? We have to go.”

There was something wrong with that logic; Trini was almost sure of it, but Kim’s urgency had gotten under her skin the same way that surge of power had. It was infectious. And if she was right… if she was right, then it was a risk they didn’t dare take. Not when it had the potential to alter their entire history. Trini nodded, too. Kim released her hold on Trini's shoulder to grab her hand once more, and this time it was she who led the way. They ran.

* * *

_~Welcome to Angel Grove~_  
 _~Pop. 376,000_ ~

* * *

Kim stared up at the sign, panting from the effort of running most of the way back towards civilization. The sign was right, but the town… the town was _wrong_. Once she’d caught her breath, Kim turned towards Trini and lifted her hand to point towards the bustling rush hour crowd. “OK, so, I may be a little shaky on some of the details, but I’m reasonably sure no one in Angel Grove had smartphones 24 years ago.”

Trini snorted out a short laugh as she jerked her head towards the posters on the side of the building they’d paused against. They were advertising concerts for everything from Ed Sheeran to Duo Lipa to Selena Gomez. “And I’m reasonably sure that none of these people were old enough to have international singing careers when we became Power Rangers.”

Kim raised a hand to massage the back of her neck, as a tension headache rapidly started to build. “So. Not the past.”

Trini nodded. “Not the past.” She frowned. “But not quite the present, either. Maybe… maybe some other dimension? An alternate universe?”

“An alternate universe…” Kim’s eyes widened as she breathed out the words. “But… if we didn’t become Power Rangers in this universe until now… what about Rita? And Zedd? And all the others who attacked Earth between then and now? Is this place just behind by 24 years? Or… or do you think Zordon and Alpha were just too late?”

Trini just frowned. “There’s only one way to find out. But, I think…” Trini turned her head towards the rapidly dwindling sunset and frowned. “I think maybe for tonight, we’re just going to have to let it lie, and find somewhere to take shelter.”

“Take shelter? Why don’t we just get a hotel room?” A whine had crept into Kim’s voice with that last question, and she felt her face heat in reaction. It wasn’t that she minded roughing it. She didn’t. But… honestly, after the day they’d had, was it so much to ask for a hot shower and a comfortable bed?

Trini sighed. “I don’t know about you, Kim, but I don’t carry much cash on me these days, and what little I do have is in Swiss francs or Euros. And I don’t want to get arrested for credit card fraud when my credit cards don’t work, especially given that it’s entirely possible that there’s another Trini Kwan somewhere in this town… and, on the very real chance that she was involved in what we felt this afternoon, then she has more than enough on her plate already.”

“…I didn’t even think of that.”

Trini tugged at Kim’s hand. “Come on. There has to be somewhere we can hole up where we won’t get noticed. Worst case scenario, we’re both capable of building a fire. We can always camp out.” She smiled. “Could be fun?”

“There’s been nothing about this entire venture that has been fun, so far, but sure? Why not?” Kim snorted at the mere thought, but she let herself be pulled, nevertheless. She’d always been willing to follow wherever Trini led, ever since they’d been little girls, a feeling that Trini had always reciprocated. It was what had made them such good friends. And Kim could admit, even if only in the privacy of her own thoughts, that having Trini all to herself on an adventure such as this, without even the boys for company… it was kind of nice, and maybe even a little bit fun.

Two hours later, when the only solution they’d found to their lack of funds problem turned out to be an abandoned area down by the docks where the homeless tended to gather, Kim was less convinced of the possibility of any potential fun. Sure, she and Trini could both take care of themselves, but neither of them had their Powers anymore, and there was brave, and then there was stupid bravado. Thinking that they could keep each other safe under conditions like this… Kim would rather take her chances with the mountain lions and a persnickety fire.

“Trini… this is a really bad idea.”

Trini nodded, eyes wide and glistening in the light of a nearby trash fire. Her voice was just as quiet as Kim’s when she answered. “I couldn’t agree more. Let’s get out of here.”

But as they were slowly beginning to back away from the warren of alleys and warehouses that made up this city within a city, a quiet singsong caught Kim’s ear. And just as had happened earlier today, her entire body froze along with that sound. She knew that voice.

“Goldar’s coming… Goldar’s coming… Goldar’s coming…”

Trini froze right beside her. Neither of them needed to say the name. They both knew that voice.

Pause.

“I need gold. I will build my beautiful Goldar.”

The sing-song voice continued. Closer now.

“Goldar takes the Zeo Crystal; I take the Universe!”

Rita.

Moments later, there was no more singing. There was only screaming. Kim met Trini’s gaze, torn. They still had no Powers. They had no team. They had no Zords. Under those conditions… it would be foolish to interfere. Or would it?

That was no choice, at all.

The battle didn’t last long, but if it hadn’t been for the fact that Rita was more intent on her prizes than she was in doing battle, things might have ended very differently—with one or both of them left behind for the police to find just like the poor man that Rita had attacked. As it was, they each had a fresh set of aches and bruises to their names, and Trini had a trio of scratches on her left cheek from Rita’s nails.

As they helped each other away from the scene of the attack, Trini let out a soft laugh. “Is it just me, or was this easier 24 years ago?”

Kim snorted. “Way easier. We were teenagers, convinced we were immortal, and had our suits and Zords to protect us from the worst of the damage. Come on. Let’s get the hell out of here before she decides to come back and finish us off for our hubris.”

Trini nodded. “Yes… and maybe we should think about making contact with our current counterparts, after all. Now that we don’t have to worry about the integrity of the timeline , I think both we and they are going to need all the help we can get.”

* * *

After a restless and nearly sleepless night spent holed up on top of a building that it had taken all of their considerable gymnastic and martial arts skills to scale, neither Trini nor Kim was in the mood for another difficult day. So, when Kim had suggested she head downtown to literally try singing for their supper, Trini had been far more eager to agree than she would have been the day before. Adventures were one thing but forcing her nearly 40-year-old bones to sleep on concrete after two nasty falls and a battle was something else entirely. Kim wasn’t the only one who desperately wanted a hot shower and a comfortable bed.

After spending some of what little cash Kim had to share breakfast at a nearby diner, they had parted ways: Kim to try her luck with the morning rush crowd and Trini to do some digging at the local library. It was time they found out a little more about what they’d gotten themselves into.

They met up again later that day at the Krispy Kreme—one of the few landmarks in this altered Angel Grove that they both easily recognized—and Trini was relieved to see that a spring had returned to Kim’s step as she walked over to meet her. One, because it always pained her to see Kim’s bright spirit dulled in any way, and two, because a smile that bright had to mean that Kim been successful enough that they wouldn’t have to spend another night on rooftops.

When Kim reached her, she wrapped Trini in a tight hug and whispered in her ear, “Cheer up, buttercup, it’s going to be a beautiful day!” Then she leaned back just enough to hold up a folded wad of cash between their bodies.

Trini laughed and pulled Kim into another hug. “What would I do without you?”

“Starve and sleep on rooftops, apparently?”

Trini was in far too good spirits to answer that smug grin with anything nasty, so she settled for sticking out her tongue. At least that earned her a bright laugh of her own. “So, how much did you make?”

Kim shrugged. “Enough to cover us for groceries and at least a night at the cheapest hotel in town. It might not be the Ritz Carlton, but it’ll have a bed and a shower and a door that locks and right now, that’s all I care about.” Nodding towards the folded paper in Trini’s hand, she added, “How about you? Find out anything helpful?”

As they got in line to get food, Trini opened up the folded paper. “I learned a thing or two from Billy over the years. I found plenty.” The addresses and ages of their counterparts was the least of it, but even that had come as a surprise. She’d been right in her guess: just like the events that were unfolding in Angel Grove, these versions of themselves were 24 years behind. Since that put them all at about 17 years of age, and remembering well Zordon’s preference for “teenagers with attitudes,” Trini figured that made it that much more likely that these versions of themselves were once again to be Power Rangers. So, Trini had hacked into the school databases and gotten their records, too, so she could learn a little more about them before she and Kim inevitably ran into them. Beyond looking up their counterparts, she’d also found police records and news clippings that showed a clear pattern to anyone who knew what they were looking for. As they took their seats, Trini pulled out one last piece of paper: an advertisement for a local jewelry store. Given what they’d seen last night and given the attacks and thefts that had already taken place, Trini would bet all the money that Kim had just made them that morning that that was where Rita would strike next. It had to be, if gold was what she was after.

Nodding slowly as she bit into her doughnut, Kim turned the papers towards her, making an approving noise for all that Trini had found. But before Trini could turn her attention towards her own doughnut, a flurry of activity over Kim’s shoulder caught her eye. There were two young women sitting behind them, in what could only be called a pitched fork battle over the last piece of doughnut. And the speed at which they were moving… Trini’s breath caught, and she began frantically tapping at Kim’s hand. Once Kim had also turned, Trini went back to staring at the two young women.

Neither woman wore any obviously identifying colors, and neither one looked precisely like them, but the empty place inside Trini where her Power used to reside was all but screaming in recognition of the woman facing her. This was this world’s Trini. The Yellow Ranger. And the woman with her couldn’t be anyone but this world’s Kimberly Hart.

Trini turned her attention to her own Kim just in time to see that same shock of recognition ripple through her, and nearly missed the end of the battle in the process. If not for Kim’s sudden gasp of surprise, she might have missed what came next, too.

This world’s Trini had come out the victor in the doughnut battle, raising the fork high up in the air and laughing in victory. Trini well-remembered the feel of it, the Power coursing through her veins, making her stronger, faster, more agile than she’d ever been. She remembered feeling all but drunk on it, daring herself into more and more complex stunts and battle maneuvers. She still missed it sometimes. And so, when this Trini smiled, flushed with her victory, Trini smiled with her… right up until the point that this world’s Kim leaned in to plant a firm kiss on her Trini’s lips. Then, when Trini was well and truly distracted by that press of lips on lips, Kim reached up to pluck the fork with the last piece of doughnut on it from Trini’s now relaxed fingers. As she leaned back, smug satisfaction written into every line of her body, Kim pulled the doughnut off of the fork and bit off half of it before holding the other half out across the table.

As this world’s Trini leaned in to delicately take the last bit of doughnut from her Kim’s fingers, then proceeded to lick those fingers clean—right there in the middle of the restaurant!—Trini could feel the heat in her cheeks rising to match the outpouring of heat the other two women were putting off. It was only her own Kim’s desperate squeaking and smacking her shoulder that saved Trini from getting caught staring when this world’s Kim and Trini finally got up from their table and left, still holding hands.

“That… that was… what… I…” No matter how she tried, Trini couldn’t get a single intelligible sentence out. Then again, she couldn’t get a sensible thought together, either, so was that really such a surprise?

It was Kim who finally managed to say something that made some semblance of sense. “We should go.”

Yes. They should. They really should. Mind stuck on what she’d just seen, Trini followed where Kim led, still unable to get a coherent thought or sentence together. She did wonder, though, if Kim had seen what she’d seen as they left—this world’s Kim and Trini, pressed against each other in the alley next to the Krispy Kreme, legs entangled, lips once more sharing kisses, as if they had all the time in the world.

* * *

As Trini gathered up one of the sets of pajamas they’d picked up that afternoon and headed into the shower, Kim finished toweling dry her hair and dropped down to rest on the edge of the hotel bed with a soft groan. She had spent the entire time since stepping into the hotel shower with her thoughts racing by her so quickly that she couldn’t catch hold of even one of them, much less sort through them. Fucking hell, what had she gotten them into?

It was bad enough that they’d somehow ended up in this alternate dimension. It was bad enough that they’d come here completely unprepared—and Kim was _never_ leaving home without at least $200 in her wallet, ever again—and had had the worst night ever until Kim had come up with a solution. It was bad enough that Rita had just broken free in this world and they were both without their Powers and without a team to back them up, _and_ the team that was here was a bunch of… of… _kids_ who had no idea what the hell they were doing .

All of that would have been bad enough, but _this_?? Kim threaded her hands through her still-d amp hair and gave it a vicious tug. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that when it had been she and her Trini caught in routine life-or-death situations and constant close quarters for training, that she’d never dreamed that any Trini could ever feel that way about her. It wasn’t fair that Kim hadn’t been ready to acknowledge those feelings, even to herself. It wasn’t fair that by the time she had been ready, she’d thought Trini had a crush on Billy and had let herself be swayed into Tommy’s arms. It wasn’t _fair_.

And now? Now Kim knew that it might have been possible. Oh, maybe not 24 years ago. Not when marriage equality was still a distant fairy tale, and she’d been so far in the closet, she hadn’t realized there _was_ a closet. But she was older now. She knew herself better now. She’d dated men. She’d dated women. And she’d never forgotten that she’d once had the world’s biggest crush on her best friend, and now she even had the self-awareness to describe it that way. But from the way Trini had reacted at the restaurant… Kim gave another sharp tug at her hair before burying her face in her hands and letting out a quiet scream. Why, of all things, did she have to have that potential shoved in her face today? And of all days, why did it have to be on a day when she and Trini were going to have to share a bed ?

Kim looked up as a wash of steam heralded Trini’s return to the main part of the room after her shower. Kim still didn’t have an answer. She still didn’t know what to do. But she also couldn’t help but notice that Trini was already twisting her fingers together as she approached and that she wouldn’t quite meet Kim’s eyes.

Eventually, Trini dropped her hands to her sides, raised her head, and cleared her throat. “So.”

Kim gave Trini a sick smile in return. “So.”

Trini let out a short groan and turned to drop down next to Kim where she was sitting on the edge of the bed. “Why is this so awkward, all of a sudden? We’ve shared beds before.”

Now it was Kim’s turn to start nervously twisting her fingers together. “Come on, Trini. You know why.” When Trini said nothing in response, Kim let out a sigh of pure frustration. “Because we’ve never had to share a bed after watching my alternate self kissing your alternate self. Well, I can tell you that you don’t have to worry about me not being able to keep to my side of the bed. Obviously, I’m not speaking for other-me, but for my part, I’ve had this particular crush under control for years , and I promise I won’t kiss you unless you ask me to, OK? So, can we just maybe get some sleep so we’re ready to go track down this world’s Rangers in the morning?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down!”

Kim caught her breath in one giant gulp as Trini’s hands came down over her own to stop their restless twisting. “Sorry. Sorry. I’ll just… it’s really fine, isn’t it? I know you don’t… that you prefer… you know what? Ignore me. I should just stop.” Kim hunched in on herself, waiting for the damning words to start.

They never came.

Gentle fingers lifted from Kim’s hands to tuck under her chin and tilt it upwards, forcing her to meet Trini’s gaze. And Trini… Trini was smiling.

“And here I thought it would be me having to explain to you that I wasn’t going to try to sneak kisses while you were asleep just because my counterpart here thought it was a good idea.”

Kim swallowed hard against a sudden lump that rose in her throat to choke off her voice. “Trini… you…? You, too?”

Trini nodded. “Me, too.”

“Since when?”

A soft blush suffused Trini’s cheeks. “I don’t… You have to understand; I didn’t really think about it that way back then. I didn’t realize what my feelings for you must have meant until long after the fact. And every time there was an opportunity to talk to you about it…”

“Yeah.” Kim interrupted. “Me, too. I get it.” She took a deep breath. “Man, if I had a dollar for every time I thought about telling you, just to chicken out at the last minute… let’s just say I wouldn’t have had to sing for our hotel money this morning.”

Trini’s laugh was bright and free and banished the last of the fear from Kim’s heart. “So… maybe our counterparts had the right idea after all?”

Kim was finally able to smile in return. “You mean, ‘Less talking, more kissing?’”

Trini shifted the hand she had tucked under Kim’s chin so that she was caressing her cheek, instead, before sliding it under her hair to cup the back of her neck. And there was just as much smug satisfaction in the quirk of her lips as there had been in this world’s Kim’s posture that afternoon. “Yes,” she said. “Something like that.” Then she leaned in.

The press of Trini’s lips against hers was soft and oh, so gentle, but there was nothing hesitant in that kiss. Not on either of their parts. Not when they’d each secretly been dreaming of this moment for over 20 years. That first kiss ended with Kim straddled over Trini’s lap, and Trini’s hands underneath her shirt, pulling Kim as close to her as she could manage. Kim sat there, panting, for a just a moment, before letting out a wild laugh of her own. “Trini, if you had any idea how long I’ve dreamed of ending up here…”

Trini cut her off with another brief kiss. “No longer than I have, I’m sure.”

Kim threaded her fingers through the fine strands of Trini’s hair, delighting in the shiver that ran through Trini’s frame as she did. Then she leaned in and placed a pair of soft butterfly kisses against each of Trini’s cheeks before pressing a firmer one against her lips. When she leaned back, Trini’s eyes had gone just a little glassy. Kim smiled. “Well, then. Since we can’t do anything else about our displacement until tomorrow… I say we use tonight to make up for as much lost time as we can. Yeah?”

Trini shuddered once more beneath her. “Oh, _hell_ , yes.”

Kim laughed into their next kiss as Trini fell backwards onto the bed, pulling Kim along with her. Let’s have a reunion, she’d said. Let’s visit the site of the old Command Center, she’d said. It’ll be fun, she’d said. Well… this sure as hell wasn’t what she’d had in mind, but even with all they’d been through in the past two days, and even with their future still entirely uncertain and their lives very much at risk… Kim was pretty sure that this reunion had been the best idea she’d ever had.

**Author's Note:**

> A big, big thank you, as always to my amazing beta-reader, who will remain unnamed until reveals, but just know this... she's awesome and this is a better story for having passed through her hands. ^_^


End file.
